What you need to know about oldtimer driving in winter- Oldtimer regulation

Using the transitional arrangement

If you want to make use of the transitional arrangement, you have to apply for this yourself at the tax office. Once the application has been approved, you will receive a payment slip at home. It is not possible to pay the road tax via direct debit. In 2028, the transitional arrangement will expire. All old-timers that did not receive an exemption in 2014 will then have passed the age of 40.

One of the requirements to take advantage of the transitional rule is that vintage cars must be on private property during December, January and February. During this period, it is not allowed to go on the road with the vintage car.

Lower rate as of Jan. 1

If you are currently paying the regular road tax rate for your vintage car, you will not be able to take advantage of the transitional arrangement until January 1. Before then, you must make the request and payment. For vintage cars that are 40 years or older and not used for business, owners do not have to pay road tax. When you take advantage of the transitional arrangement, you pay only a quarter of the road tax for the oldtimer, with a maximum of €123 on an annual basis. If you have registered yourself for the transitional regime, you do not have to register again for the following year. You will automatically receive a bill in November for the upcoming year.

When you buy a vintage car that has already been registered by its previous owner for the transitional scheme, you automatically take over this rate.

If you take advantage of the transitional arrangement, in some cases you will not get back the overpaid tax. This applies if you sell the vintage car, take it to the scrap yard, export it abroad or if the car is stolen.

License plate suspension

Because you are not allowed on the road during the months of December, January and February when using the transitional regime, this does not mean that your license plate is suspended for this period. Without suspension, the license plate is simply listed as active in the RDW system. This makes it mandatory to have a valid MOT and minimum third-party insurance for the vintage car. If you suspend the oldtimer and make use of the transitional arrangement, you will not receive a tax refund. However, there is a possibility to temporarily stop the car insurance during the suspension. Then you do not have to pay any premiums during this period and there is no obligation to have the car checked. A suspension does incur a cost of €24.10.

Car insurance companies may sometimes have different rules for cars that benefit from the transitional regime. In doing so, suspension is not always possible. This is often the case with vintage car insurance, but this may also be the case with regular car insurance. The reason for this is the often low premium anyway. So check carefully whether it may be useful to suspend the license plate. If the insurance cannot be suspended, suspending your license plate makes little financial sense.

From the moment the suspension is terminated, you are immediately required to have car insurance and a valid MOT. If you do not have a valid MOT, the fine is €140. For not having an insurance certificate, the fine is €600.

Winter driving with a vintage car

If you do plan to drive your vintage car during the winter then you cannot make use of the transitional arrangement. Are you currently already making use of the regulation, but are you planning to drive during the winter months then you can deregister. You are then obliged to pay the normal rate for the whole year (from January 1). The tax paid, you don't get a refund. This means you have to pay a lot extra for one month of driving. To save costs, you can choose to opt out of the oldtimer for the scheme after December. This means you only have to store the vintage car in December and pay the regular tax for the upcoming year starting in January.